Tag Archives: glue gun

Recently, my niece and I saw the new live-action Beauty and the Beast. We, of course, loved it!! For her 10th birthday, I really wanted to get her a rose under a bell jar, like in the movie. I searched for some, but there are none being mass-produced or sold by any retailer. The only ones I found were on Etsy, and, while beautiful, they were a bit more expensive than I was hoping for. As usually happens when I discover things that are too expensive, I thought to myself “I could totally do that!” And, so can you!

Supplies

Large Cloche/Bell Jar with wood base – $15. I found mine at Michael’s. It was $30, but I had a half-off coupon from the Michael’s app

Small wood balls or spools to add some height to the jar – $3.16. I set the jar on a few different options before choosing my favorite. You’ll want something tall enough to hide the battery pack under the jar. The ones I found were 79 cents apiece.

Fake Rose – $5. Make sure it is a size that looks good under the jar. Michael’s had a gorgeous large fake rose, but it was too big. I ended up going with a slightly less gorgeous (but still pretty) one from JoAnn’s that fit better.

Fake Rose Petals – $1. Rather than buying another $5 fake flower to tear apart for petals, I picked up one from Dollar Tree. The flower itself wasn’t nice at all, but since I was just pulling petals off, it worked perfect! You can also find fake rose petals in the wedding section of most craft stores, but, again, why pay the extra money?

Battery-powered LED string lights – $0. These, I already owned. (I have a few of them actually.) Make sure you get the LED lights on a wire string so they are easy to bend – and, as LED’s, they will not get too hot. You can find these in craft stores, or on Amazon for cheap, like under $10. For a bit more, you can get them with a remote control too. 6 feet is plenty long enough for this purpose.

Floral Tape – $1.50. Just basic green floral tape

Wood stain, paint brush – $0. I used a dark stain that I had left over from a previous project, as the base of the jar was already stained, and the wood spools were unstained. I prefer a foam brush for applying stain.

Spray or brush-on polyurethane to finish the wood – $0. I already had a satin spray on-hand, but glossy is a good option too!

My Project Total: $25.66

Tools

Wire cutter to cut the fake rose down to size.

Latex Gloves. Stain is awful to try to get off your hands!

Super glue, or other fast-acting adhesive. This is for gluing the lights in place around the rose petals. I found super glue did discolor the fake rose a bit, but I’m not sure any glue would behave any differently. If you have other options, go for it. I’d avoid hot glue for this purpose, however, as the petals are very thin and you’ll burn yourself. As it was, I got my fingers stuck with the super glue a few times.

Acetone, or other solvent. To un-stick your fingers after using the super glue! And to remove stain from your hands/arms/face (depending on how aggressive you are with your staining!)

E6000 or wood glue. This is to attach the spools to the base. Neither are fast-acting adhesives, so be sure to give yourself some time for the glue to cure.

Hot glue gun. To glue the rose petals and lights in place on the base of the jar.

Handheld drill with drill bits. Best to have a few drill bits that are around the same size as the diameter of the fake rose. More below

Pinterest has become my new obsession. (follow me here) Recently, I came across the most adorable spring wreath and just HAD to make it for myself. This craft was originally posted by Patty Schaffer at P.S. Capture the Details. I have a feeling her blog is going to become a new favorite of mine.

The post really does a fantastic job of showing how to wrap the yarn around the wreath. In short, be sure to wrap the yarn tight and close, and give it a fluff every so often. This process will take awhile – it took me 2 hours to wrap mine. Put on a movie and get to it!

When I was a kid – no idea how old – we made these Rudolph decorations in my church youth group. For some reason, after all these years, I still have mine. It’s a little rough looking, but it still smells nice, and it makes me smile.

Making Rudolph is a very simple and fun (and cheap!) activity you can do at home with your kids, or some kids you’ve borrowed for the afternoon!

Last week I showed you how to make a ribbon headband hanger. This is great for thin headbands, and for displaying hair clips. However, if you have very thick headbands, or ones with larger feathers or accessories, the oatmeal canister headband display is a must-have. Here’s how I made mine:

Oatmeal Canister Headband Display

Step 1: Measure the canister by height and length around. Cut the fabric the exact height, as you’ll cover the edges with ribbon. Cut it an inch longer to overlap when you wrap the fabric around the canister.

Step 2: Iron the fabric to remove all wrinkles. Fold over one end by 1/2 inch and iron flat.

Step 3: Using the hot glue gun, run a line of glue down the canister and attach the unfolded edge of the fabric. Wrap the fabric around the canister. Run another line of glue under where the folded edge of the fabric ends. Press with your fingers to secure.

Step 4: Work the ribbon around the edges. I put glue under the folded end of the fabric and tucked the ribbon into it to secure. Then, every few inches, I put another thin line of glue and pressed the ribbon into in until it wrapped around. Cut the ribbon so it overlaps just a hair. Using clear nail polish, paint the end of the ribbon so it will not fray. Attach the end of the ribbon with another line of hot glue.

Last weekend I took an upholstery class and loved it! Had been wanting to do it for a very long time. Upholstery has always intimidated me a bit, so I was glad to learn a lot.

However, there are some pieces that are actually quite simple to do with no real training. This chair is one of them – I did this a while back and it was quite easy. I bought this chair on CraigsList for a bit more than I should have paid. I liked the size of it and the shape, but the fabric was not pretty. Kinda gross actually. But it fit in my front window alcove so perfectly. I figured this one was a project I could tackle.

Supplies you’ll need

Staple remover/flathead screwdriver/pliers

Fine grit sandpaper

Spray Paint

Fabric Scissors

Staple gun/staples

Glue gun/glue sticks

Enough fabric to cover the chair (I highly recommend fabric made specifically for home décor – it is heavier and will last longer)